1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a cowl section structure for a vehicle.
2. Related Art
There is a cowl top cover arranged between a windshield and a bonnet for covering an engine compartment of a vehicle, and configured to cover a cowl section provided between the engine compartment and the windshield. The cowl top cover is attached such that the cowl top cover engages with a front end portion of the windshield, covers a space from the front end portion of the windshield to a rear end portion of the bonnet, and extends across the width of the vehicle. The cowl top cover improves the external appearance of the vehicle by covering an air box which is provided between vehicle panels on the rear end of the engine compartment and a cowl top panel configured to support the windshield. In addition, an air intake communicating with the air box configured to take external air into the vehicle compartment is formed in the cowl top cover.
The cowl top cover includes a plate-shaped cover body configured to cover the cowl section. A rear end portion of the cover body is connected to the front end portion of the windshield by being fitted, etc., to the front end portion of the windshield. Thereby, the cover body prevents rainwater and the like from entering the engine compartment. Furthermore, the cover body is attached to a vehicle body with a front lower portion of the cover body fixedly supported by a vehicle body panel. An elastically-deformable seal member is attached in a way that the seal member extends to the left and right ends of the cowl top cover. The seal member is designed in a way that the raised portion of the seal member, as being in intimate contact with the rear-end lower surface of the closed bonnet, blocks heat and smell from the engine compartment.
With this structure, even though rainwater, dust and the like stay on the upper surface of the cowl top cover exposed to the outside, the seal member can block the rainwater, dust and the like, as well as prevent the rainwater, dust and the like from entering the engine compartment. Furthermore, the seal member can prevent heat and smell, which are produced inside the engine compartment, from being discharged to the outside through cowl top cover.
Japanese Patent Translation Publication No. 2011-520694 describes a fitting structure in which a terminal end portion of the cowl top cover is attached to a windshield fitting section. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the windshield fitting section included in the related cow top cover, take in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a detailed diagram showing how water flows around the windshield fitting section included in the related cowl top cover, viewed in the left-right direction of the vehicle. In the drawings, the frontward direction, the rearward direction, the upward direction and the downward direction are denoted by reference signs FR, RR, UP and DN, respectively.
In FIG. 1, a windshield fitting member 10 plays a role in connecting a windshield 40 to a cowl top cover general surface 50. The windshield 40 is, for example, formed from laminated glass, and is attached to a vehicle body of a vehicle, albeit not illustrated. The cowl top cover general surface 50 is, for example, formed from synthetic resin or the like. An upper end portion 53 of the cowl top cover general surface 50 is connected to a lower end portion 42 of the windshield 40, and the cowl top cover general surface 50 discharges water, which is flowing out from the windshield 40, to the outside. An outer surface portion 50a of the cowl top cover general surface 50 is almost flush with an outer surface portion 40a of the windshield 40.
The length of the windshield fitting member 10 in a vehicle widthwise direction is equivalent to the width of the windshield 40, or the width of the cowl top cover general surface 50. A first portion 20 of the windshield fitting member 10 includes a fixation surface 22 configured to fix the windshield 40. An adhesive layer 24, such as a piece of double-side adhesive tape, is formed on the fixation surface 22. Along the lower end portion 42 of the windshield 40, the windshield fitting member 10 together with the adhesive layer 24 is pressed against a back surface portion 40b of the windshield 40, and bonded to the back surface portion 40b. 
The windshield fitting member 10 includes a second portion 30. The second portion 30 includes an engagement recessed portion 60 configured to enable the cowl top cover general surface 50 to be attached to and detached from the second portion 30. The cowl top cover general surface 50 has a protrusion 51, which is formed in a recessed or projecting shape, on its back surface. The protrusion 51 has elasticity, and is designed to be brought into engagement with, or fitted into the engagement recessed portion 60. The protrusion 51 extends in a joining direction R1 which is almost vertical to the outer surface portion 50a of the cowl top cover general surface 50, or the outer surface portion 40a of the windshield 40.
The windshield 40, the windshield fitting member 10 and the cowl top cover general surface 50 are arranged in a way that allows the protrusion 51 to be inserted into the engagement recessed portion 60 of the windshield fitting member 10 in the joining direction R1, and to be released from its engagement in a direction R2 opposite to the joining direction R1.
The engagement recessed portion 60 is defined by: a spring-like leg portion 62 shaped almost like the letter L, the letter U, or a hook; and a protrusion 80 formed between the first portion 20 and the second portion 30 of the windshield fitting member 10. An engagement opening portion 61 into which to insert the protrusion 51 is formed by the protrusion 80 and a free end 64 of the spring-like leg portion 62.
The cross section of the protrusion 80 is shaped like a wedge and/or the letter T. A seal member 90 configured to cover the windshield 40 and the cowl top cover general surface 50 is provided in a transition area between the windshield 40 and the cowl top cover general surface 50. Between the lower end portion 42 of the windshield 40 and the inwardly-projecting protrusion 51 of the cowl top cover general surface 50, a part of the protrusion 80 forms a holding body or a supporting body configured to support the seal member 90 through a flat portion 91 of the seal member 90.
A tip end portion 92 of the seal member 90 is in intimate contact with the lower end portion 42 of the windshield 40. After the attachment of the cowl top cover general surface 50, the seal member 90 is attached by pressure between the lower end portion 42 of the windshield 40 and the upper end portion 53 of the cowl top cover general surface 50 in a way that an outer surface portion (not illustrated) of the seal member 90 is connected to, and flush with, the outer surface portion 40a of the windshield 40 and the outer surface portion 50a of the cowl top cover general surface 50. Accordingly, the transition area between the windshield 40 and the cowl top cover general surface 50 is almost smooth and flush with the windshield 40 and the cowl top cover general surface 50.
Below the lower end portion 42 of the windshield 40, a cavity portion 84 is formed by the protrusion 80 and the first portion 20 of the windshield fitting member 10. The cavity portion 84 enables elastic flexure of the protrusion 80 as supported by the windshield 40 after attached to the windshield 40.
Inside the engagement recessed portion 60, the spring-like leg portion 62 has an engagement surface 63 on its free end 64. The engagement surface 63 is designed to be put into engagement with an engagement surface 52 formed on the protrusion 51 at a position where the cowl top cover general surface 50 is attached. For this reason, the protrusion 51 is always in engagement with and/or fitted in the engagement recessed portion 60 of the windshield fitting member 10. An inclined surface (not illustrated) is formed on the engagement surface 52 and the free end 64 in order for the protrusion 51 to be inserted into the engagement recessed portion 60 in a better condition. Inside the engagement recessed portion 60, an engagement surface 83 is formed on the protrusion 80 as well.
A lock member 70 is provided for the purpose of materializing a simple configuration which does not require the cowl top cover general surface 50 to be bonded to the windshield fitting member 10 or the windshield 40. The lock member 70 is formed as a protrusion inside the engagement recessed portion 60 in away that the lock member 70 extends in the longitudinal direction of the windshield fitting member 10. At least apart of the lock member 70 is elastically deformable. The lock member 70 is formed in a way that the protrusion 51 of the cowl top cover general surface 50 can be inserted into the engagement recessed portion 60 in the joining direction R1 with relative ease, and in a way that the protrusion 51 is hard to release from its engagement with the engagement recessed portion 60 in the R2 direction.
As shown in FIG. 1, the lock member 70 is arranged at an acute angle to the protrusion 51 inside the engagement recessed portion 60. The lock member 70 is designed in a way that: at least its part projects toward the engagement opening portion 61 of the engagement recessed portion 60; and the part is in engagement with and/or fitted in the protrusion 51 inside the engagement recessed portion 60. Thereby, the cowl top cover general surface 50 is detachably and continuously fixed at its attachment place.
In order to make this possible, a curved end portion 71 is formed on a longitudinal-direction end surface 72 of the lock member 70, and the engagement surface 52 is formed on the protrusion 51. This design causes a free end or the curved end portion 71 of the lock member 70 to support the protrusion 51 in the longitudinal direction of the windshield fitting member 10, too, at the position of the attachment of the cowl top cover general surface 50 is attached. Accordingly, this design ensures the stable engagement.
On the engagement surface 83 of the protrusion 80, the lock member 70 is fixed to the protrusion 80, as in the case of the seal member 90. The lock member 70 has a narrow portion 74 between the curved end portion 71 and a joining area 73 which is joined to the protrusion 80, and the cross section of the lock member 70 is shaped almost like a recess. When the protrusion 51 is inserted into the engagement recessed portion 60, this cross section makes the lock member 70 retreat sideway, or in a direction at a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the lock member 70. For the purpose of supporting such an effect, an inclined surface 55 configured to press the lock member 70 sideway is formed in an end portion of the protrusion 51.